Bentley Pub offers some Pic favorites

Bentley Pub, 602 Southbridge St., Auburn, officially opened in the former Piccadilly Pub site in July, and the new look and menu apparently have caught on.

General manager Jim Taylor said, “Many of the regulars from the old Pic (Piccadilly) days have returned. Our menu continually changes, but there are some choices that are similar to what was served at the old Piccadilly. We have lowered all the menu prices. In many ways, we have reverted back to when the Pic was in its heyday.”

About the property: William C. Martin is owner and operator of Bentley Pub. The founder of the single Piccadilly Pub in Westboro in 1973, Martin and co-owner Jon Klaucke grew the business into a chain of 13 pubs over the next 30 years. In 2008, they sold some assets and leased all Piccadilly pub restaurants to an investment group from Canada.

In February 2012 the group closed the remaining 11 restaurants. Martin and Klaucke reportedly assumed the assets of the restaurants in March.

Taylor has worked with Martin since 1984. He said Martin, who lives in Florida, plans to visit Bentley Pub about once a month. Martin attended the grand opening of the restaurant, which he helped name.

Twenty-eight of the 32 employees at Bentley Pub formerly worked at Piccadilly Pubs in Central Massachusetts, according to Taylor.

Janet Lauziere of Worcester, who was assistant manager at the Piccadilly Pub in Worcester, is assistant manager at Bentley Pub.

Friday: Fisherman’s Feast, $15.99. Start off with shrimp cocktail and a cup of clam chowder followed by beer-battered fish ‘n chips.

Half-price appetizers are available Sundays.

The Open N. Y. Sirloin Steak, $9.99, is just one of the entrées that Taylor considers a “good deal.”

House specials at the bar include vodka and gin martinis and the classic Manhattan, $4.99.

The kitchen at Bentley Pub is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily; the bar area, until closing. Telephone: (508) 407-8880; www.bentleypub.com.

The interior of the restaurant has been brightened up with cosmetic renovations including new lighting and rugs.

Taylor looks forward to greeting customers, old and new.

Let him know what you think of the new digs.

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The Greater Worcester Chapter of Hadassah will host a Champagne Reception Oct. 28 to kick off its 2013 WOW calendar.

The event, free to the public, will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at The Willows at Worcester, 101 Barry Road, Worcester.

Barbara Patashnik, Hadassah’s fundraiser chairman, said WOW (Women of Worcester) is a project that has successfully been kept under wraps. “We didn’t want to make any announcement until the project was completed,” said Patashnik.

Women who posed for the calendar will have an opportunity to meet each other for the first time at the reception, she said. “We think everyone will be pleasantly surprised when they see the calendar for the first time.”

Patashnik said there are so many fundraisers in and around the city that Hadassah “thought out of the box” when coming up with WOW. “Dream big was our philosophy,” she said.

The calendar costs $18 and will be available for sale the day of the reception. Other sale locations will be announced at a later date, according to Patashnik.

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Alexia Foods has introduced two new products.

Alexia Multi-Grain Onion Rings and Alexia House-Cut Julienne Fries are available in stores nationwide for a suggested retail price of $3.89 each.

The items can be served as an appetizer or as a side dish with a main course.

The restaurant’s general manager Janet Fotiadis said the event will be “wicked awesome.”

Don’t miss out!

Note: The Grill on the Hill is scheduled to stay open for lunch and dinner until the end of the year.

“We will be open to the public for lunch Monday through Wednesday and lunch and dinner the rest of the week,” said Fotiadis. The restaurant is taking reservations for special functions and holiday parties. “Our function room is booking parties year-round,” added Fotiadis.